We did not play to our full potential, says Louth manager
"OK, the game was won when the subs came on but anyone who knows anything about Dublin football knows that there are good footballers around battling for places. There will be quare crack now in the next three or four training sessions," he promised.
"Once we get up and going we know we have the players to play football. The great thing is that fellows played in fits and starts and they know the next day that they are going to have to go for 70 minutes. We are looking forward to the Leinster semi-final."
He said all the players he introduced during the game were all good footballers. The defence had their moments but for the last 20 minutes of the first-half the full-back line was superb very good and very tight.
"But this is the first round for us. It is just getting us off the ground. There is no big deal. If we beat Louth by one point I would be just as happy," he said.
"We got the breaks that Louth were looking for. In the end of the day we came into the game and we knew we had a lot to prove again. Every year everybody starts with a clean sheet of paper and Armagh proved that when they were beaten by Monaghan. I suppose that in itself the Cork and Armagh results was always going to reduce the risk of us getting caught.
" We put the squeeze on their best players and once we took the sting out of their best players they needed the breaks and when we got the goal and couple of points they came down and hit the post. When we were a bit nervy we got the breaks that they needed to get to really tear into us but that's the way it is and we are happy. We're in the next round. We blooded lots of footballers." He said there was no significant damage to Alan Brogan just some bruising.
Paddy Carr, the Louth manager said that, collectively, they all disappointed with what happened. In football it can happen occasionally that a team doesn't perform.
"We came down today already convinced that we were going to be in the shake-up in this game, but we did not play to our potential at all.
"Once the final whistle blows you have to look forward and while we are out of the Leinster championship we are in the All-Ireland series and we are no different to Cork or Armagh or any of those teams. We are just grateful for the fact that we still have an opportunity to make this happen for us.
"All of the players are extremely disappointed because whatever about being beaten when you don't perform to your potential that is always the worst scenario.
"At the same time I must give credit to Dublin. They are a very mobile and focused side and they have sent out a bit of a statement to everybody and they will want to build on that performance as well.
"From a Louth point of view, we put in all the work and it just did not happen today. A few things went against us chances missed and I suppose when we lost Seamus (O'Hanlon) it did not help but those things happen in football and you have to show a lot of character and character is not about feeling sorry for yourself.
"We don't have time to do that anyway because we have to be back out in six days."
He said championships football was about taking the chances and while they created a number of chances 10 minutes into a first half they had a chance that came off the post they did not take them.
"But the disappointing thing for us was that we knew it was crucial to get into Dublin from the start and that did not happen.
"They had a cushion but, in the first seven minutes of the second half, there was the potential to trouble them but we did not do it. Things did not work out," he said.
"They made very intelligent use of the extra man.
"If it was 15 against 15 the score would have been different but in championship football it is not about the score it is about.
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